Tent fumigation is priced by air, not floor. Cubic feet decide the number.
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The volume math: why cubic feet run the quote
A tent job seals the entire structure and fills it with fumigant at a labeled concentration. Everything that adds sealed air or tarp labor adds to the number:
Cubic footage
The fumigant dose is calculated on the sealed volume under the tarp — length times width times height, attic included. Vaulted ceilings, second stories and high-pitched roofs add volume that a square-footage number never shows, which is why phone quotes based on floor area alone are guesses.
Roofline and tarp complexity
Crews tarp the whole structure and seal it at the ground. A cut-up roofline with dormers, valleys and multiple ridge heights takes more tarps, more clamps, more sand snakes and more crew hours than a simple gable — same gas, more labor.
Attached structures
A screened lanai, pool cage attachment, attached garage or breezeway either gets sealed into the tent — more volume, more tarp — or professionally isolated from it, which is prep labor instead. Nothing attached to the house is neutral in the quote.
Polk County’s housing stock makes this math especially uneven. The old-growth pine bungalows around Lake Morton and Dixieland — exactly the wood drywood colonies favor — pair small floor plans with steep, complicated rooflines, while newer South Lakeland two-stories carry big volume under simple gables. Two very different quotes, both correct.
Dosage, drywood extent and the season factor
The fumigant concentration and exposure time are set by label requirements against the target — and drywood termite infestations of different extents, wood thicknesses and temperatures change that dosage math. A confirmed, localized pocket of activity and a structure with galleries running through rafters, trim and furniture are different gas jobs under the same tarp. The Florida drywood termite guide explains why these colonies — living entirely inside the wood with no soil contact — are the pest that makes whole-envelope dosing necessary in the first place.
Season moves quotes too. Polk County’s drywood swarm season clusters everyone’s calendars at once: when swarmers show up in late spring and summer, demand spikes and crew schedules tighten. Flexible timing in the shoulder months can mean easier scheduling and a calmer number; a hard closing deadline in peak season means the operator is pricing the squeeze along with the gas.
Swarmers or frass piles showing up?
One call reaches a licensed, local exterminator who covers your address — and a real person answers, 24/7.
Free to call. Free to get matched. The licensed operator sets the price.
What sits inside the quote — and what stays on your side
Comparing tent quotes goes faster when you know which costs belong to the operator and which never appear on their paper at all:
| Typically inside the operator’s quote | Typically on the household’s side |
|---|---|
| Tarping, sealing and the fumigant dose at the labeled rate | Lodging for the two nights out — and pet boarding if needed |
| Aeration, monitoring and certified re-entry clearance | Food and medication bagging time (unless prep service is quoted) |
| Required notices and fumigation documentation | Gas utility shutoff and re-light coordination fees, where the utility charges one |
| The retreatment bond, on whatever terms were quoted | Trimming landscaping back so tarps can seal at the ground |
None of the right-hand column is hidden-fee trickery — it is simply outside the fumigation product. Operators who walk you through both columns before you sign are showing you how they do business.
The two-night displacement is part of the budget
A standard tent job runs roughly three days and two nights: tent up and gas introduced on day one, exposure through day two, aeration and certified re-entry clearance on day three. The household — people, pets, plants — is out for the duration, and lodging sits on your side of the ledger, not inside the operator’s quote. Budget the displacement alongside the treatment fee, because the total project cost includes both.
Prep has cost-shaped edges too: food and medications get double-bagged in fumigation bags or removed, the gas utility needs shutoff and re-light coordination, and landscaping gets trimmed back so tarps can seal at the ground. Operators differ on how much of that prep labor they include versus leave to the homeowner — it is a legitimate quote question, not a given. For the full start-to-finish timeline, see how long termite treatment takes in Lakeland.
Bond and warranty terms are part of the number
Two identical tent jobs can carry very different paper. Ask what happens if drywood activity reappears in year two: is there a retreatment bond, what does it cover, what does annual renewal run, and does it transfer if you sell the house? A quote with a durable bond behind it is buying more than gas — and a bare quote with no bond should be cheaper for a reason you understand before signing.
Tenting is also only one branch of termite economics. The termite treatment cost guide maps tent fumigation against no-tent spot treatments and subterranean barrier work, so you can tell which fee conversation you are actually in before comparing anything.
Verify before you book: structural fumigation is among the most tightly regulated work in Florida pest control. Any company’s license status and categories are public at the FDACS license search — aessearch.fdacs.gov.
How getting matched works
Call the dispatch line
Tell the 24/7 line where the structure is. Fumigation calls route to independent operators licensed for structural fumigation work in Polk County.
Describe the structure
Stories, roof style, pool cage or lanai attachments, and what evidence you have found — pellets, wings, blistered wood.
The operator inspects and measures
Real tent quotes come from a measured structure and confirmed drywood evidence, not a square-footage guess over the phone. The independent FDACS-licensed operator owns every number.
Compare quotes on substance
Line them up by measured volume, included prep labor and bond terms — not just the bottom-line figure.
Fumigation pricing questions, answered straight
Why is fumigation priced by cubic feet instead of square feet?
Because the fumigant dose is calculated on the sealed volume under the tarp. Two homes with identical floor area but different ceiling heights and rooflines contain different amounts of air — and the gas has to fill all of it at the labeled concentration.
Does a pool cage or lanai raise the fee?
Usually, one way or the other. Attached structures either get sealed under the tent, adding volume and tarp work, or isolated from it, adding prep labor. Ask the operator which approach the quote assumes.
Why do two quotes for the same house come back different?
Different assumptions: measured volume versus estimated, prep labor included versus excluded, bond terms, and crew scheduling. Ask each operator to show the cubic footage they used and what the bond covers — the spread usually explains itself.
Is the hotel stay included in the quote?
No. Lodging for the two nights out is the household’s cost, outside the operator’s fee. Factor it into the total project budget along with pet boarding if you need it.
Does the season change the price?
It can. Drywood swarm season concentrates demand in late spring and summer, and tight crew calendars price accordingly. Flexible timing is mild leverage; a hard closing date in June is not.
Is tenting always the answer for drywood termites?
No. Confirmed, localized activity can sometimes be handled with no-tent spot treatments, and the honest answer depends on what the inspection finds about extent. Whole-structure elimination is what the tent buys — the licensed operator’s inspection decides whether you need it.
Get a number measured off your roofline, not a statewide average.
One call reaches a licensed, local exterminator who covers your address — and a real person answers, 24/7.
Free to call. Free to get matched. The licensed operator sets the price.
Disclosure
Lakeland Exterminators is a dispatch and matching service. We connect Polk County callers with FDACS-licensed structural pest control operators. We are not a licensed pest control operator and we do not perform inspections or treatments. We do not set prices, issue warranties, hold retreatment bonds, or carry pest control trade insurance. All pricing — including any inspection fee — scheduling, treatment plans, warranties, bonds and service terms are determined by the FDACS-licensed operator dispatched to your address under Chapter 482, Florida Statutes.
Same-day and 24/7 emergency services are subject to provider participation, location, technician availability, and demand. Availability is not guaranteed and may vary by market and appointment capacity.
License status of any operator you connect with is publicly verifiable at the FDACS license search: aessearch.fdacs.gov.